As a youth studying sword swallowing in Italy, the single-most important development in my education was seeing one of my own swords swallowed with ease by my instructor. I had been working for months on end with that blade, and my success had been virtually non-existent. I began to question myself, the tools and indeed the very possibility that I could achieve the goal of swallowing a sword whole. And then I saw the very blade that I’d been training so diligently with consumed, without hesitation, as if it were candy. There was the proof I had been looking for.
Likewise with running. Running is possible, but is it possible for me was the question.
Eighteen years of failure and experience-induced belief that I was not designed to run was overturned by a snap decision, a moment alone on a beach, and by taking off my shoes. My proof that I could run was right there, in the fact that I had just done it!
Now what?
I had been so unprepared to be successful – unprepared to even try running again – that I neglected to set forth any larger goals should I succeed. Or so I thought.
The Importance of Exercise
In a world on the cusp of major anti-aging breakthroughs that have the potential to indefinitely extend the human lifespan, the single most important factor in living a healthy life remains your own proactive attitude toward diet and exercise. This will be the case even after significant advances in life extension are made. People who eat a proper diet and exercise live longer, have significantly decreased incidence of all major illnesses, think faster, sleep better and are on the whole, more creative, happy and successful.
I exercise. I eat well. I want to run. I can run. Can I become a runner? Adding running to my laundry list of physical activity seems a worthwhile and enjoyable thing to do, yet despite my success on the beach, it remains to be seen if I can indeed run over the long-term, on a regular schedule and without injury and discomfort. That is what I seek to find out.
The Goal
The goal of The Barefoot Experiment is quite simple:
To develop the habit, skill and fitness level necessary to run regularly, for prolonged periods of time while covering significant distance.
To be successful, I further require that I find joy in the act of running and look forward to the challenge.
I aim to achieve this goal in a biomechanically proper manner by eschewing traditional footwear and running shoes. I will allow myself footwear only if it conforms to the standards of minimal footwear which seeks only to provide simple protection from dangers underfoot. Minimal footwear must simulate barefooting insofar as it allows proper biomechanical operation of the foot and contains no support structures. (examples include Vibram FiveFingers)
Simple, right?
For a guy who can’t run, it’s actually quite a daunting challenge. I’ve faced fears before, some well warranted (swallowing a sword and eating fire fall into the well warranted category, I think) and others quite silly (public speaking, for instance – the very thing that I now make my living doing). A fear of running seems ridiculous to me, but there you go, I’m afraid of it! Which is why, now that I’ve wedged my proverbial foot in the door and have seen success by taking off my shoes, I’m determined to overcome the fear.
But Wait, There’s More!
I’ve made a career out of questioning assumptions, pushing the limits and exploring the fringe of human experience. Perhaps it’s my undying curiosity and interest in the human spirit and psyche, or perhaps I’m just slightly off my rocker, but even before taking my shoes off I found myself fascinated by those at the extreme fringe of the sport of running – the ultramarathoners.
I don’t get them. I simply don’t understand their psychology, what goes through their head, and what it must feel like to achieve such a remarkable goal – before, during and after. Scratch that: I think that I have the before figured out. Before you run 100 miles non-stop, it seems crazy, bold, audacious and quite impossible. But I know that it’s not impossible, and (not so) secretly I want to understand it from the inside, to truly appreciate what it’s like to push your body, and your mind, that hard. I want to run 100 miles.
As with my first steps with the art of sword swallowing, I have no idea if I’ll be successful. I have no idea if it’s possible for me to run 100 miles. I have 35 minutes of experience under my belt and I understand how brazen it is of me to set my sights on such a remarkable goal. I may get 6 miles down the road and discover that I’m just not cut from the proper material. But damn it, I don’t want to just sit around thinking about it, I want to find out for myself.
My immediate goals remain steady and simple – to become a runner, and to do so by going barefoot. My pie-in-the-sky dream is to reshape myself into an ultrarunner and successfully run an ultramarathon. I share the journey – success or failure – here with you on The Barefoot Experiment.
First, become a runner. Then, become an athlete.
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Learn how The Barefoot Experiment began.
First time readers may find it helpful to read the original posts in order, by way of introduction.
Part 1 – I Am Not A Runner
Part 2 – Take It Off
Part 3 – Tentative First Steps
Part 4 – It’s All In What You (Don’t) Wear
Part 5 – Thirty Five at Thirty One
Part 6 – The Experiment
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‘First, become a runner. Then, become an athlete.’
I Agree. My soul is barefoot but I don’t have enough guts for it yet!